Belladonna1975's 1010 Challenge

OK...I read over 100 books so far this year so I should be able to accomplish this next year. I thought I would go ahead and start my post and finish working out my categories before the New Year.

I am hoping to pull most of these books from my TBR piles that are threatening to make my bookcases implode.

Here is what I have so far...

1. It's Not Just For Kids Anymore - Young Adult Fiction (6/10)
2. Their Bite is Definitely Worse Than Their Bark - Books about Vampires/Werewolves/Zombies/Demons (8/10)
3. Who Did What To Who When - Historical fiction (3/10)
4. Take me to your Leader/Evil Scientist/King/Wicked Witch - Science fiction/Fantasy Books (7/10)
5. Nothing Like Changing Categories To Suit My Purpose - Graphic Novels (9/10)
6. Put Down The Peyote - Magical Realism (2/10)
7. Happily Ever After...Maybe - Fairy Tales/Fairy Tale Retellings (3/10)
8. Off With Their Heads! - Books about the French Revolution (0/10)
9. If They Jumped Off Of A Bridge, Would You? - Recommendations from Friends (0/10)
10. Falling off the Wagon - I can't keep myself from going to the library (0/10)

Bonus Category - Everything Else (1)

Category #1: It's Not Just For Kids Anymore - Young Adult Fiction (6/10)

1. Fallen - Lauren Kate
2. Inkheart - Cornelia Funke
3. A Certain Slant of Light - Laura Whitcomb
4. A Whisper in the Night - Joan Aiken
5. To Catch a Pirate - Jade Parker
6. The 13 Treasures - Michelle Harrison
7.
8.
9.
10.

Possibilities:
The Spell Book of Listen Taylor - Jaclyn Moriarty
Black Ships - Jo Graham
The Stolen One - Suzanne Crowley

Category #2: Their Bite is Definitely Worse Than Their Bark - Books about Vampires/Werewolves/Zombies/Demons (8/10)

1. Glass Houses - Rachel Caine
2. The Dead Girls' Dance - Rachel Caine
3. Midnight Alley - Rachel Caine
4. Feast of Fools - Rachel Caine
5. Lord of Misrule - Rachel Caine
6. Carpe Corpus - Rachel Caine
7. Fade Out - Rachel Caine
8. Boneshaker - Cherie Priest
9.
10.

Possibilities:

Category #3: Who Did What To Who When - Historical fiction (3/10)

1. The Coral Thief - Rebecca Stott
2. The People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks
3. The Sultan's Favorite - Anne Burnside
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Possibilities:
I, Mona Lisa - Jeanne Kalogridis
Wideacre - Philippa Gregory
Observations - Jane Harris
Memoirs of Cleopatra - Margaret George
Through A Glass Darkly - Karleen Koen
The Book of Unholy Mischief - Elle Newmark

Category #4: Take me to your Leader/Evil Scientist/King/Wicked Witch - Science fiction/Fantasy Books (6/10)

1. Storm Front - Jim Butcher
2. Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson
3. The Well of Ascension - Brandon Sanderson
4. The Hero of Ages - Brandon Sanderson
5. New Blood - Gail Dayton
6. Gods Behaving Badly - Marie Phillips
7. Blood of Elves - Andrzej Sapkowski
8.
9.
10.

Possibilities:
Gloriana - Michael Moorcock

5. Nothing Like Changing Categories To Suit My Purpose - Graphic Novels (9/10)

1. Jack of Fables Vol. 1: The (Nearly) Great Escape - Bill Willingham
2. Jack of Fables Vol. 2: Jack of Hearts - Bill Willingham
3. Jack of Fables Vol. 3: The Bad Prince - Bill Willingham
4. Jack of Fables Vol. 4: Americana - Bill Willingham
5. Jack of Fables Vol. 5: Turning Pages - Bill Willingham
6. Jack of Fables Vol. 6: The Big Book of War - Bill Willingham
7. The Great Fables Crossover - Bill Willingham
8. Fables Vol. 14: Witches - Bill Willingham
9. Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love - Chris Roberson
10.

Category #6: Put Down The Peyote - Magical Realism (2/10)

1. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafón
2. The Girl Who Chased The Moon - Sarah Addison Allen
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Possibilities:
Little, Big - John Crowley
Winter's Tale - Mark Helprin
The Magic Toyshop - Angela Carter
Bones of the Moon - Jonathan Carroll
The Stolen Child - Keith Donohue
The House of Gentle Men - Kathy Hepinstall
The Little Giant of Aberdeen County - Tiffany Baker

Category #7: Happily Ever After...Maybe - Fairy Tales/Fairy Tale Retellings (3/10)

1. The Silent Gondoliers - William Goldman
2. Max and Peter: A Fables Novel - Bill Willingham
3. Once Upon a Dream: At Midnight - Jennifer Baker
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Possibilities:
Enchanted - Nancy Madore
Once Upon A Summer Day -Dennis L. McKiernan
Once Upon A Winter's Night - Dennis L. McKiernan
Firebird - Mercedes Lackey
The Bloody Chamber - Angela Carter

Category #8: Off With Their Heads! - Books about the French Revolution (0/10)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Possibilities:
The Silver Blade - Sally Gardner
The Porcelain Dove - Delia Sherman
The Gods are Thirsty - Tanith Lee
Illusion - Paula Volsky
Scaramouche - Rafael Sabatini
Glass Blowers - Daphne Du Maurier
Scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Orczy
Abundance - Sena Jeter Naslund
The Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
City of Darkness, City of Light - Marge Piercy
A Place of Greater Safety - Hilary Mantel

Category #9: If They Jumped Off Of A Bridge, Would You? - Recommendations from Friends (0/10)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Possibilities:

The Name of The Wind - Patrick Rothfuss
The Meaning of Night - Michael Cox
Scar Night -Alan Campbell
The Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch
Nightfall - Isaac Asimov
The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

Category #10: Falling off the Wagon - I can't keep myself from going to the library (0/10)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Bonus Category: for anything that doesn't fit into the other categories

1. A Pale View of Hills - Kazuo Ishiguro
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Great Catagories The Shadow in the Wind Is fabulous I loved it.I've also read Stolen Child it was pretty good too.Will have to look into some of the books you have in your Magical Realism Catagory.Good Luck and Good Reading!

I am so excited to start this challenge. I have my stack ready to go and I have already picked the first 10 books of the year! I am starting out with Fallen by Lauren Kate.

Have a happy New Year everyone and happy reading!

Oh, I love your pictures! And a lot of your categories too :)

Thanks! I thought I would use some of my favorite Pre-Raphaelites to make my thread pretty.

Zoe - you have great categories too and I have just starred your thread. You have some of my favorite books on your list to read this year like Fire and Hemlock and War for the Oaks and lots of books I plan on reading also like Meaning of Night and The Handmaid's Tale. I really wanted a Dystopian category but I am trying to be good and read mostly books I already own. Oh well, there is always 2011!

I was very bad about sticking to books I already own--I have almost none of the books in my New York category, and even in categories that I could easily fill with TBR books I know there are going to be some new ones sneaking in.... oh well. I'll looking forward to following your Dystopian category in 2011! ;)

Great categories! A couple of suggestions for your "off with their heads" division -- Hilary Mantel wrote a wonderful book about the revolution, A Place of Greater Safety, which is slightly less mammoth in size and less potentially confusing in style than Wolf Hall. Marge Piercy wrote City of Darkness, City of Light, which is also very good. Then there is the final volume of a trilogy by Diana Norman that begins at the time of the American revolution. It might make more sense when read as part of the trilogy, but it's a very good book about both the revolution and the upheaval in England (crackdown on free speech, etc.) in response to the events in France. The Sparks Fly Upward

18> Thanks for the suggestions. I now have the Hilary Mantel book on my wishlist and got a copy of City of Darkness, City of Light on bookmooch today!

Have you read The Tale of Two Cities? It's set during the French revolution.
I've been thinking about the Scarlet Pimpernel myself.

I'll be reading The Scarlet Pimpernel for my challenge too.

Maybe we should see if others want to join in and we can do a group read, what do you think?

That'd be great. The more the merrier!

I could cheat and put The Scarlet Pimpernel in one of my categories. It's one of my favorite films but I've never gotten around to reading it.

I put a note in the group read thread.

1. Fallen - Lauren Kate

I have been waiting to write a small review of this book. After I first finished it, I decided that I loved it but now that a week has passed, the glow has faded a bit. Don't get me wrong. It is a very good book.

Luce Price is sent to a reform school after a horrible accident in which a boy is killed. She meets a mysterious boy named Daniel Grigori and is drawn to him. He does the whole "standoffish" thing that only makes her want to get closer to him...stuff happens...stuff doesn't really get resolved.

I guess that is my problem with the book, is that it asked a bunch of questions but only answered about half of them. I know it is because there is going to be a series of these books but some closure would be nice.

I read another book that was very similar recently called Hush, Hush and I would say that Fallen is the better of the two even though they are very similar.

It was a quick read and overall I enjoyed it.

Looking forward to your review of this one!I soo want to read that book!

2. The Coral Thief - Rebecca Stott

This is the story of Daniel Connor, a young English medical student who goes to Paris in 1815 in order to study anatomy and in the process meets a beautiful ex-aristocratic turned philosopher-thief who "changes his idea of who he is and the world in which he lives"

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. It was engaging and kept my interest almost the entire time. I say almost because I could have done without the small chapters interspersed about Napoleon's trip from France to his final island prison. I guess they were there to help infuse the book with the feel of post-revolutionary Paris but it seemed unnecessary to me.

One thing I absolutely loved were the illustrations. (I am a sucker for a book with pictures) especially when they enhance the story.

All in all it was a fun and quick read. It makes me want to start a coral collection of my own.

3. Storm Front - Jim Butcher

Ok, I just finished Storm Front. I really enjoyed it, actually much more than I thought I would. At this point, I think I am kind of burned out on the "witch/vampire-hunter/vampire/werewolf badass has to save the world" genre, having read way too many of those kinds of books in the past few years. However, I really like Harry. He is a trash talking wizard who puts his money where his mouth is. It is refreshing to read a book like this with a male protagonist. I kind of had it figured out as far as who the killer was about 2/3rds of the way through the book but I still enjoyed watching Harry get from A to B. There was only on character that was annoying to me and unfortunately I think she is an integral part of the books.

Anyway, It was fun. I doubt I will be reading the next ones right now since I don't actually own them in paper form (I have all of the e-books) and my goal this year is to thin the paper herd. But, I do plan on reading them all at some point.

Off to finish Inkheart

Hope you enjoy Inkheart! I loved the whole series...

4. Inkheart - Cornelia Funke

"The world was a terrible place, cruel, pitiless, dark as a bad dream. Not a good place to live. Only in books could you find pity, comfort, happiness - and love. Books loved anyone who opened them, they gave you security and friendship and didn't ask anything in return; they never went away, never, not even when you treated them badly."

I loved this story. Books about books make me giddy. I (luckily) had not seen the movie before I decided to read this wonderful little book. The book quotes at the beginnings of the chapters made me want to run to the bookcases and grab my copies of The Princess Bride, Watership Down and The Neverending Story.

I definitely plan to read the other two books in the trilogy at some point this year.

Great categories and lovely artwork...

You have some great reading lined up for this year. I'm looking forward to what you think about a lot of the books you have as possibilities. Something that you may like that would probably fit in a couple of your categories would be Faerie Tale by Raymond E. Feist. It's not usually the first book that comes to mind when naming the author but I thought it amongst his best work and really wish he'd write more like it.

Chiming in (late) to say that I *love, love* The Scarlet Pimpernel. I would anti-recommend (if that's a term) I read a couple of non-fiction books set around the French Revolution, but didn't love either one. Sorry I can't help there.

32> Thanks Blythe025!

33> I actually owned a copy of Faerie Tale but apparently I don't have it anymore (according to LT) but that doesn't mean anything. It could just be hiding from me. Anyway, I know I haven't read it though so I will grab a copy and add it to the pile. I did attempt to read his "Mistress of the Empire" series and found that I didn't like it at all.

34> I am very excited to read The Scarlet Pimpernel this year. I am going to join the group read for it starting on Bastille day! You should reread it again with us.

I generally don't read non-fiction (I know, that's bad) but I have plenty of reality with my reality. I read books to get away from real life.

5. A Certain Slant of Light - Laura Whitcomb

I am on a YA roll so far this year. I have had this book since it first came out and it is one of those books that I am kicking myself for not having read sooner.

Helen is a ghost and for 150 years she has been haunting her chosen "hosts" until one day, someone actually SEES her. Helen and James' story was touching and a bit sad but finally full of hope.

I have noticed that books labeled as YA have quite a bit more sex then they used to. It doesn't bother me considering I read Flowers in the Attic at 11 and Maia at 13. Both of those, certainly deemed inappropriate for children but my parents never censored my reading in any way. (Which I thank them for) It is just an observation.

I am also a big fan of book quotes and one that caught me from this book was...

"I could smell the familiar mix of wet hay and warm milk, the lavender sachet pillow tucked into the linen cupboard, and the painfully sweet breath of an infant, like vanilla cream."

I love the smell of my baby's breath and have never been able to put it into words before. So, thank you, Laura Whitcomb for putting words to one of my favorite things.

Up next, I am reading Mistborn.

I'm enjoying your reviews so far. Lots of interesting books!

I have to admit, though, I abandoned Inkheart partway through because I felt like it was dragging. I'll have to pick it up again one of these days.

I also loved the Ink trilogy. I was disappointed in the movie but it was still nice to see the characters on the screen. Paul Bettany will forever be Dustfinger to me.

It did feel like alot of "They were kidnapped; Oh, they escaped! Oh crap, they were kidnapped again!" at the beginning but it did pick up at the end.

Lol your categories are awesome! And I love the pretty pretty pictures you've added. You are definitely inspiring me to update my book blog.

You've definitely gotta read The Shadow of the Wind, The Name of the Wind, and The Lies of Locke Lamora this year. Brilliant reads. I also highly recommend Alan Campbell's Deepgate Codex trilogy just because it is so spectacularly bizarre and I'd love to discuss them with you.

I will be rereading The Name of the Wind and the two Locke Lamora books this year if official release dates for the next books in the series are announced. I don't want to reread them too far in advance.

Definitely read The Scarlet Pimpernel for your French Revolution picks. This is another one that I'd love to reread this year. I would also recommend The Black Tulip or The Knight of Maison-Rouge by Alexandre Dumas. Such stunning descriptions of those horrific events.

So many books!

6. A Pale View of Hills - Kazuo Ishiguro

The story of Etsuko, a Japanese woman now living alone in England, dwelling on the recent suicide of her daughter. In a story where past and present confuse, she relives scenes of Japan's devastation in the wake of World War II.

OK...I went into this book expecting to love it. I don't know why but the only thing I could think when I was finished was .. What the hell?????

Maybe I am not erudite enough to understand the book but it made no sense to me. It started out well enough and I was enjoying the slight sense of foreboding that I felt for the first 100 pages or so (there are only 180). I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, to be enlightened and it just never came.

Perhaps it is one of those books where you are supposed to draw your own conclusions about what happened or didn't happen but I personal don't really like that kind of story. I want to be TOLD what happened. If I have to guess, I might as well write my own damn book. **sigh**

I am really irritated and had planned on waiting til tomorrow to write about this but I have been seething since I finished reading it about 8 hrs ago and couldn't contain myself any longer.

I am embarrassed to admit that I even went to the wiki on this book to see if I could get a better explanation of the last chapter (which I did and now I feel even dumber) but, it still doesn't make me like it any more.

I still really want to read Never Let Me Go and Remains of the Day but if he pulls this kind of crap on me again, I am out!

Ok, rant over...I am going to finish Mistborn tonight and then read The Silent Gondoliers which I am very excited about.

I think you'll like Never Let Me Go and Remains of the Day much better; the latter in particular. The former is a gradually unfolding dystopia, chilling but a great novel.

I think I need to read Inkheart...

#41 I want to be TOLD what happened. If I have to guess, I might as well write my own damn book. I'm so glad you said this - I've often felt the same way but have never been able to express it so well.

7. The Silent Gondoliers - William Goldman

"How can the removal of beauty from a world so lacking in beauty be anything but tragic."

I loved this novella by the author of The Princess Bride. It is the story of why the gondoliers of Venice, despite possessing the finest voices in the world, have ceased to sing.

I wish Goldman had written more books in the voice of S. Morgenstern. I found myself giggling over and over again and wishing this little book just wouldn't end. It is also beautifully illustrated by Paul Giovanopoulos.

It makes me want to break out my copy of The Princess Bride and read it again but I have many unread books ahead of me this year so I will hold off on a reread, for now.

The Silent Gondoliers sounds fantastic!

>44 Belladonna1975:
That sounds so good. I also loved The Princess Bride (which he may be working on a sequel for, though I'm not sure). Sounds like this was just as good.

JANUARY RECAP
January was a slow read month for me. I usually read about 13-15 books in January but this year I only read 8. I dealt with a hurting tooth (which required a root canal), a sinus infection (which still hasn't gone away) a potty training 2 year old and a very needy 5 month old who cries every time I put her down.

Best book of the month - Mistborn
Worst book of the month - A Pale View of Hills

It's Not Just For Kids Anymore - Young Adult Fiction (3/10)
Fallen - Lauren Kate
Inkheart - Cornelia Funke
A Certain Slant of Light - Laura Whitcomb

Their Bite is Definitely Worse Than Their Bark - Books about Vampires/Werewolves (0/10)

Who Did What To Who When - Historical fiction (1/10)
The Coral Thief - Rebecca Stott

Take me to your Leader/Evil Scientist/King/Wicked Witch - Science fiction/Fantasy Books (2/10)
Storm Front - Jim Butcher
Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson

Hey! Why So Many Pseudonyms, Lady? - Books by Jean Plaidy/Victoria Holt/Philippa Carr (0/10)

Put Down The Peyote - Magical Realism (0/10)

Happily Ever After...Maybe - Fairy Tales/Fairy Tale Retellings (0/10)
The Silent Gondoliers - William Goldman

Off With Their Heads! - Books about the French Revolution (0/10)

If They Jumped Off Of A Bridge, Would You? - Recommendations from Friends (0/10)

Falling off the Wagon - I can't keep myself from going to the library (0/10)

Bonus Category: for anything that doesn't fit into the other categories (1)
A Pale View of Hills - Kazuo Ishiguro

Here are some books I am thinking about reading in February:

The Well of Ascension
The Hero of Ages
The Temptation of The Night Jasmine
The Betrayal of the Blood Lily (group read Feb)
The Three Musketeers (group read Feb/Mar)
Beat the Reaper
Gods Behaving Badly
The Kingdom of Ohio
The Aviary Gate
Gloriana
The Spell Book of Listen Taylor
Blood Will Tell
The Last Hot Time

I'm surprised with all you had on your plate, you had time to read 8 books. Hope you're feeling 100% soon.

See you at the group read.

Potty training at two, I'm impressed! Although they're ready when they're ready, right? Will you believe me when I say that it does get a lot less labour intensive soon? I would say that only a few years and you'll be able to use the bathroom in blessed privacy, but we're still working on that. Reading to and with them does get wonderful, though.

She has been insanely easy to take care of overall. Goes to bed at 8:30pm every night, Sleeps in til 8, takes a nap every day, has a pleasant disposition, is affectionate and loves books. Now the potty training is going splendidly as well. My Mom says that either her sister is going to be hell on wheels or I will pay for all these lovely years when they are teenagers.

I look forward to going to the bathroom alone. I also can't remember the last time I got to relax in the bath. Its 10 minute showers or nothing these days.

My favorite is at night when it is time for Izzy to go to bed. She, Genevieve and I snuggle up in her big fluffy rocker in her room and read a few stories before she goes to bed. It is heaven.

#50 Your comments reminded me of a time when my kids were just a little older than yours. I had 4. A friend who didn't have any children came to spend the night so my husband and I could go to a hotel for our anniversary. We weren't gone 24 hours, but when we came home she asked "when do you get to take a shower?".

Give them an extra snuggle tonight!

8, 9 and 10. The Mistborn Trilogy - Brandon Sanderson

All I can say is Wow! I need more Brandon Sanderson. I have never read Elantris or Warbreaker but they are WAYYY up on the top of my TBR list now. He is so damn good, I might even go back and reread the 5 Robert Jordan books I bothered to read and stopped in disgust, continue to read the OTHER 6 I never before had any inclination to read JUST so that I can read Brandon's final 3. THAT is how good The Mistborn Trilogy is.

I don't want to put too much about the books on here because there are a lot of twists and turns and revelations that happen over the course of the three books. If you are going to read them, I would even go so far as suggest that you only read the back blurb for book 1 before starting them (so as not to give anything away). It is epic fantasy at it's very finest.

I am also excited that he apparently has a 10 book series in the works starting with Way of the Kings coming out in 2010. I am officially in booklove with Brandon Sanderson.

Verdict: I need copies of my very own (I borrowed these) so that I can stroke them lovingly. Oh, and read them again.

11. A Whisper in the Night - Joan Aiken

This is a small book of short stories by Joan Aiken. They were mostly predictable and after a while, they ceased to be distinct stories at all but just all melded together. I have only read one other Aiken book which was The Wolves of Willoughby Chase and that was years ago but I remember that I did enjoy it, so I will most likely be reading more Joan Aiken in the future. In particular I am interested in her Jane Austen retellings. Has anyone read any of those?

Verdict: Off to the bookmooch pile with you!

#52 I haven't read the Mistborn trilogy yet, but I did read Elantris, which is excellent. Glad to see you liked the trilogy so well--maybe your recommendation will motivate me to read Mistborn soon!

Belladonna, I agree with you on the Brandon Sanderson evaluation. I've only read 2 of that trilogy so far but will be reading The Hero of Ages soon. Just felt I needed something a little lighter before starting that one. I'm certainly looking forward to reading the end of The Wheel of Time series also.

@53 :: I have read some of Joan Aiken's Austen retellings (Emma Watson, Jane Fairfax, and Mansfield Park Revisited). By and large, I must say I didn't like them. The only one I had mildly positive feelings about was Mansfield Park Revisited...probably because the plot was almost exactly the same as that of Mansfield Park! I was extremely disappointed with Jane Fairfax--I completely disagreed with Aiken's interpretation of Jane Fairfax's character and romantic relationships.

#53, I've read them all, and found they work best (indeed, quite well) if you think about them as utterly distinct from the Jane Austen novels and characters. They are decent books on a stand alone basis, but like a lot of Austen fanfiction, really don't measure up next to their progenitors. Gotta say, I'm tired of all the Austen sequels, but these are some of the better ones I've encountered.

@57 :: Chatterbox, I would agree with you - if you can separate Jane Austen completely from these books, they're not bad. It's just when you compare them to the originals that they really suffer.

12. - 18. Jack of Fables Vol 1-6 and The Great Fables Crossover by Bill Willingham

Well, now I am all caught up on Fables. It makes me sad. I really need to find some other graphic novels to get into. I have never really been a fan of Jack and I guess I am still not but I love Bigby and Snow White.

Next up: Peter and Max - Bill Willingham

I loved the Fables book. Haven't read all of the Jack ones, though, probably because, like you, he's not my favorite. I would love to see more Bigby and Snow.

I have this fantasy that Fables will be made into this really awesome television show, and that I am one of the lead writers working to adapt it to the little screen, ensuring that it retains a high level of awesome. Heh.

60> You should read the Jack graphic novels, especially if you want to read the great Fables Crossover. It will make so much more sense if you do. The nice thing about the Jack books are all of the secondary characters you get to meet and re-meet.

I read somewhere that they were thinking about making a TV show out of it. I don't know how far into they have gotten though. I hope they don't suck it up.

19. - 25. Morganville Vampires Series by Rachel Caine

Well, I read the first 7 books in this series at about one a day. It was pretty nice that they are short easy reads because the baby has been extra needy recently(which I don't mind).

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed these. I am also a fan of Caine's Weather Warden series so I have been getting these off of bookmooch. I decided now was the time to give them a go and I am glad that I did.

I found the characters to be more complex then in the standard teen vampire book (Twilight, Vampire Kisses) and the premise is interesting.

Claire Danvers is an ultra-smart early entry college student, who; because her parents are concerned about her going to school far away, ends up at a small school in Morganville. After getting terrorized by some local girls, she ends up getting a room at a nearby house with 3 young locals. There, she begins to learn about the vampires and their connection to the entire community.

So, these were great and just what I needed at the moment.

Next, I still plan on reading Peter and Max since I am borrowing it from a friend and need to get it back to her at some point.

FEBRUARY RECAP

I read 17 books in February but the majority of those were YA and Graphic Novels. I needed some light quick reads since I was dealing with family stuff this month and watching the Olympics. I am going to really start digging into my TBR shelves in March. I also changed my Jean Plaidy/Victoria Holt category to a Graphic Novel category since I read 7. Hey, it's my challenge right?

Best book of the month - The Hero of Ages
Worst book of the month - A Whisper in the Night

It's Not Just For Kids Anymore - Young Adult Fiction (4/10)
A Whisper in the Night - Joan Aiken

Their Bite is Definitely Worse Than Their Bark - Books about Vampires/Werewolves (7/10)
Glass Houses - Rachel Caine
The Dead Girls' Dance - Rachel Caine
Midnight Alley - Rachel Caine
Feast of Fools - Rachel Caine
Lord of Misrule - Rachel Caine
Carpe Corpus - Rachel Caine
Fade Out - Rachel Caine

Who Did What To Who When - Historical fiction (1/10)

Take me to your Leader/Evil Scientist/King/Wicked Witch - Science fiction/Fantasy Books (2/10)
The Well of Ascension - Brandon Sanderson
The Hero of Ages - Brandon Sanderson

Nothing Like Changing Categories To Suit My Purpose - Graphic Novels (7/10)
Jack of Fables Vol. 1: The (Nearly) Great Escape - Bill Willingham
Jack of Fables Vol. 2: Jack of Hearts - Bill Willingham
Jack of Fables Vol. 3: The Bad Prince - Bill Willingham
Jack of Fables Vol. 4: Americana - Bill Willingham
Jack of Fables Vol. 5: Turning Pages - Bill Willingham
Jack of Fables Vol. 6: The Big Book of War - Bill Willingham
The Great Fables Crossover - Bill Willingham

Put Down The Peyote - Magical Realism (0/10)

Happily Ever After...Maybe - Fairy Tales/Fairy Tale Retellings (0/10)

Off With Their Heads! - Books about the French Revolution (0/10)

If They Jumped Off Of A Bridge, Would You? - Recommendations from Friends (0/10)

Falling off the Wagon - I can't keep myself from going to the library (0/10)

Bonus Category: for anything that doesn't fit into the other categories (1)

Here are some books I am thinking about reading in February:

Peter and Max
The Three Musketeers (group read Feb/Mar)
Beat the Reaper
Gods Behaving Badly
The Kingdom of Ohio
The Aviary Gate
Gloriana
The Spell Book of Listen Taylor
Blood Will Tell
The Last Hot Time
Scar Night
Name of the Wind

26. To Catch a Pirate - Jade Parker

Blech! I can't believe I let this sit around as long as I did. I will never get those 2 hours back and that is all I have to say about that. Off to the bookmooch pile, it goes!


27. Peter and Max: A Fables Novel - Bill Willingham

Wonderful! Fantastic! I just can't come up with enough superlatives to describe my feelings for this series. I ♥ Bill Willingham! Too bad I just borrowed this book from a friend, because now I have to go get my own.

A dreadful book is an unpleasant surprise, but doesn't it feel good to have it off of your shelf?

Yes it feels very good. Too bad it was so tiny. It really didn't free up much room at all! I am putting all of the giveaways in a box to put up on bookmooch at some point, but I almost feel guilty about giving that one to anyone.

Now I am reading New Blood and was expecting (based on the blurb) both vampires and steampunk of which neither have materialized as of page 100.

Haha, I read To Catch a Pirate this year too, and my feelings about it are very similar to yours. :) Luckily I got mine from the library...but still, I'll never get that time back!

67> I know, right? And, it's not like I am getting any younger! Those hours are precious. I already fret about the probability of one day dying without having read all of the books on my wishlist. Morbid I know, but I can't help but think about it.

Also, the other day I was lamenting the fact that I couldn't read in multiple languages because think of all of the amazing books that are never published in English. I was thinking about it because of the long long wait for translated books by Andrzej Sapkowski.

28. Once upon a Dream: At Midnight - Jennifer Baker

YA modern retelling of Cinderella. It was OK.

29. New Blood - Gail Dayton

After I got past the fact that it wasn't about vampires (I don't know where the hell I got that from. Maybe because it begins in Transylvania) and it wasn't REALLY steampunk (even though it was being touted as such, a few mechanical spider like thingies does not a steampunk make), I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It fits firmly in one of my favorite genres ever (and if it isn't a genre, it should be) of Alterna-History Victorian Fantasy Romance a la Sorcery and Cecelia, Magicians and Mrs. Quent, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell AKA Mannerpunk. I can't wait to pick up the sequel Heart's Blood though I was disappointed to find out that it wasn't a sequel in the true sense of the word but rather, a story set in the same world revolving around a side character of the first book. According to the author's blog, the 3rd book should be out next year and it again is about secondary characters from the first book. I can only hope that this series sells well so that Ms. Dayton can continue the story of Amanusa and Jax!

Now I am off to continue reading The Shadow of the Wind which 125 pages in, I can already definitively say will be one of my top 5 books of the year even without having finished it yet. The writing is just FABULOUS!

The Shadow of the Wind was one of my favorites in 2009.Its a Great Book!!

@70 :: I really enjoyed your review of New Blood, and I'm excited to read it after seeing your comparisons to Sorcery and Cecelia and The Magicians and Mrs. Quent! It definitely goes on the TBR list now. And I love the name Mannerpunk! :)

Christina - I can't wait for the sequel to The Magicians and Mrs. Quent. According to Galen Beckett's blog, it should be out sometime in the Fall of this year! I finally went through and tagged all of my books that I consider to be "Mannerpunk". I love that word as well. I can't wait to hear what you think of New Blood. I went to B&N to get Heart's Blood today and they didn't carry it which made me sad. Oh well, off to Amazon I go!

I like the name Mannerpunk. I will have to use that too.

I have gotten kind of behind on reporting what I have been reading.



30. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

My favorite book of the year and maybe of the last 2 years. Fabulous. Read it.



31. The Girl Who Chased the Moon - Sarah Addison Allen

Sarah Addison Allen is the queen of Magical Realism. Long may she reign.



32. The 13 Treasures - Michelle Harrison

Cute YA fantasy about a girl, an old house and nasty little faeries.



33. Boneshaker - Cherie Priest

Steampunk or so they say. I disagree, but still good nonetheless.

*edited to say that on further thought,(since I had not finished reading the book before I put this post), Boneshaker is absolutely steampunk. I am leaving my original comment though; or else, the conversation below would not make much sense.

>75 Belladonna1975:
I think Boneshaker is definitely steampunk, though I have a broader view of steampunk that some. My definition of steampunk involves a sense of aestetic, incorporating technology that is more advanced of the historical setting in which it is written, whether or not it specifically involves strict steam technology. For me Boneshaker and many others in that broad scope fits rather neatly into the steampunk category.

I just finished The Girl Who Chased the Moon too its great!!

76> It was definitely more steampunk than Soulless.

77> I loved it too. I hate that we have to wait so long in between her books, though. I guess that just means it is time for a reread of Garden Spells and The Sugar Queen.

>78 Belladonna1975: I was thinking of rereading The Sugar Queen too!

The Sugar Queen is one I have been meaning to read for a while, bumped up the TBR list as it still looks appealing.

March RECAP

I only read 8 books in March so I seem to be slowing down. I have been exhausted lately and have had a hard time focusing. I went to the Dr. and found out that I have a thyroid problem so I am hoping that now that I am on medication, I will start feeling better and get some more reading done.

Best book of the month - The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Worst book of the month - To Catch a Pirate - Jade Parker

It's Not Just For Kids Anymore - Young Adult Fiction (6/10)
To Catch a Pirate - Jade Parker
The 13 Treasures - Michelle Harrison

Their Bite is Definitely Worse Than Their Bark - Books about Vampires/Werewolves/Zombies (8/10)
Boneshaker - Cherie Priest

Take me to your Leader/Evil Scientist/King/Wicked Witch - Science fiction/Fantasy Books (5/10)
New Blood - Gail Dayton

Put Down The Peyote - Magical Realism (2/10)
The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafón
The Girl Who Chased The Moon - Sarah Addison Allen

Happily Ever After...Maybe - Fairy Tales/Fairy Tale Retellings (3/10)
Peter and Max: A Fables Novel - Bill Willingham
Once upon a Dream: At Midnight - Jennifer Baker

Here are some books I am thinking about reading in April:

Divine Misdemeanors
Midnight Fires
The Sultan's Favorite
The Last Rawl Trilogy
Blonde Roots
Beyond Black
Beat the Reaper
Gods Behaving Badly
The Kingdom of Ohio
The Aviary Gate
The Dark Divine
The Spell Book of Listen Taylor
The Last Hot Time
Scar Night
Name of the Wind

34. Fables Vol. 14: Witches - Bill Willingham

YAY for Fables!!


35. People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks

Not bad. I am a huge fan of the back and forth story line a la The Thirteenth Tale but I think I may have enjoyed this book more if I had not just read Shadow of the Wind. Still, I didn't love it enough to keep it, so off to bookmooch it goes!


36. Gods Behaving Badly - Marie Phillips

Blech! I really disliked this book..alot. I had to force myself to finish it. I had promised a friend that she could have it when I finished. I am almost embarrassed to give it to her.

Now I am reading Blood of Elves. I really enjoyed The Last Wish so I hope this one is just as good!